TWI867794B - Substrate processing method and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate processing method of the present invention is based on the pre-obtained inclination of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion, and the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed are adjusted according to the inclination (step S17). Therefore, since the parameters are adjusted according to the inclination of each substrate, the radial cleaning degree of the substrate can be made uniform. Since in addition to adjusting the pressing pressure of the brush, the moving speed of the cleaning arm is also adjusted, the moving speed of the cleaning arm can be used to supplement the part that cannot be adjusted only by the pressing pressure of the brush.

Description

Substrate processing method and substrate processing device

The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing device for performing a cleaning process on a semiconductor substrate, a substrate for a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device, a FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate, a mask glass substrate, an optical disc substrate, etc. by using a brush.

Previously, such a device has been provided with a rotating support part, a brush, a cleaning arm, and a control part (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The rotating support part supports the end surface of the substrate and rotates the substrate. The cleaning arm has a self-rotating brush at the front end. The cleaning arm swings the brush from the center of the board to the periphery. The control part compares the brush at the periphery of the substrate with the brush at the center of the substrate and controls the pressure to be smaller.

Generally speaking, if the substrate is supported by a rotating support at the end, the substrate sinks due to its own weight and becomes a state of convex curvature downward. In addition, the peripheral portion of the substrate that has undergone various processes is sometimes curved compared to the central portion. That is, relative to the central portion of the substrate that is in a roughly horizontal position, the peripheral portion of the substrate is in a tilted position. When processing the substrate, if a certain pressure is applied to the entire surface of the substrate, the area of the brush applied in the peripheral portion is smaller than that in the central portion. In this way, the pressure per unit area is higher at the peripheral portion than in the central portion. As a result, the degree to which the brush acts on the substrate in the radial direction of the substrate varies, and the degree of cleaning in the radial direction of the substrate is uneven.

To this end, the control unit adjusts the pressing pressure according to the position of the brush as described above. In this way, the pressing pressure per unit area in the radial direction of the substrate can be constant. In other words, the degree of radial action of the brush on the substrate can be constant. Therefore, the radial cleaning degree of the substrate can be made uniform.

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent document 1]

Japanese Patent Publication No. 6178019

However, in the case of a previous example with such a structure, there are the following problems.

That is, generally speaking, the bending state and warping of the substrate are different for each substrate. Therefore, even if the control unit controls the pressing pressure to be smaller according to the position of the brush, it is sometimes impossible to make the pressing pressure per unit area constant in the radial direction of the substrate. Therefore, it is sometimes impossible to make the cleaning degree of the substrate in the radial direction uniform.

The present invention was completed in view of such a situation, and its purpose is to provide a substrate processing method and substrate processing device that can ensure uniformity of the radial cleaning degree of the substrate by predicting the inclination of the substrate in advance.

In order to achieve this purpose, the present invention adopts the following structure.

That is, the substrate processing method of the invention of technical solution 1 makes the brush act on the substrate to perform cleaning processing, and is implemented in sequence: a tilt measurement process, which measures the tilt of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion; and a cleaning process, which applies a pressing pressure to the brush arranged on the front end side of the cleaning arm, so that the cleaning arm moves at a moving speed, so that the brush moves from the central portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion and acts on the substrate; and during the cleaning process, at least one of the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed is adjusted according to the tilt.

[Function and effect] According to the invention of technical solution 1, during the tilt measurement process, the tilt of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion is measured. During the cleaning process, at least one of the parameters of the brush pressing pressure and the moving speed of the cleaning arm is adjusted according to the measured tilt. Therefore, since the parameters are adjusted according to the tilt of each substrate, the radial cleaning degree of the substrate can be made uniform. In addition, even if the brush pressing pressure cannot be adjusted, it can be dealt with by adjusting the moving speed of the cleaning arm. Furthermore, by adjusting the moving speed of the washing arm in addition to adjusting the pressing pressure of the brush, the moving speed of the washing arm can be used to supplement the part that cannot be adjusted only by the pressing pressure of the brush.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred to reduce the aforementioned parameters at the periphery of the substrate compared to the central portion (technical solution 2).

If the periphery of the substrate is tilted relative to the central part, the area of the brush acting on the periphery is reduced, so the force per unit area of the brush on the periphery becomes larger, and the area of the brush acting per unit time is reduced. To this end, the parameters are reduced at the periphery. If the pressure is reduced, the pressure per unit area acting on the upper surface of the substrate at the periphery is reduced. Therefore, the pressure per unit area can be made uniform in the radial direction of the substrate. If the moving speed is reduced, the time that the brush acts on the upper surface of the substrate at the periphery increases, and the area of the brush acting per unit time increases. Therefore, the area of the brush acting per unit time can be made uniform in the radial direction of the substrate.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the tilt measurement process is preferably implemented by moving the washing arm in a state where a measuring device is installed at a position adjacent to the brush in the washing arm and at a distance from the base end of the washing arm that is the same as the distance between the base end of the washing arm and the brush (technical solution 3).

The measuring device can be used to measure the inclination of the substrate at the same position as the brush's moving trajectory. Therefore, the inclination of the position required for parameter adjustment can be accurately measured.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the aforementioned tilt measurement process is preferably performed before the aforementioned cleaning process is performed with the substrate being held in a rotating holding portion (technical solution 4).

Since the tilt is measured while the substrate is held in the rotating holding portion, the tilt of the substrate that affects the adjustment of parameters during the cleaning process can be accurately measured. In addition, the tilt may change due to certain treatments on the substrate, but since the measurement is performed immediately before the cleaning process, the tilt of the substrate can be accurately measured. Therefore, the parameters can be accurately adjusted for the tilt of the substrate that is being treated during the cleaning process.

In addition, the substrate processing device of the invention of technical solution 5 performs cleaning processing by making the brush act on the substrate, and is characterized in that it includes: a rotating holding part that holds the substrate in a horizontal posture and rotates the substrate; a brush that acts on the upper surface of the substrate held by the rotating holding part; a cleaning arm that includes the brush at the front end; and an arm driving part that drives the brush in a manner that the brush moves radially toward the substrate between the rotation center and the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the rotating holding part. The cleaning arm is driven by a pressing mechanism, which pushes the brush toward the substrate by a pressing pressure; and a control unit, which controls at least one of the pressing mechanism and the arm driving unit based on the pre-acquired inclination of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion while applying the pressing pressure to the brush and moving the brush from the central portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion while performing the cleaning process of the substrate, and adjusts at least one of the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed according to the inclination.

[Function and effect] According to the invention of technical solution 5, the control unit controls at least one of the pressing mechanism and the arm driving unit, and adjusts at least one of the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed according to the inclination of the peripheral part of the substrate relative to the central part obtained in advance. Therefore, since the parameters are adjusted according to the inclination of each substrate, the radial cleaning degree of the substrate can be made uniform. In addition, even if the pressing pressure of the brush cannot be adjusted, it can be dealt with by adjusting the moving speed of the cleaning arm. Furthermore, by adjusting the moving speed of the cleaning arm in addition to adjusting the pressing pressure of the brush, the moving speed of the cleaning arm is used to supplement the part that cannot be adjusted only by the pressing pressure of the brush.

According to the substrate processing method of the present invention, the inclination of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion is measured during the inclination measurement process. During the cleaning process, at least one of the parameters of the brush pressing pressure and the moving speed of the cleaning arm is adjusted according to the measured inclination. Therefore, since the parameters are adjusted according to the inclination of each substrate, the cleaning degree of the substrate in the radial direction can be made uniform. In addition, even if the brush pressing pressure cannot be adjusted, it can be dealt with by adjusting the moving speed of the cleaning arm. Furthermore, by adjusting the moving speed of the washing arm in addition to adjusting the pressing pressure of the brush, the moving speed of the washing arm can be used to supplement the part that cannot be adjusted only by the pressing pressure of the brush.

1: Substrate processing equipment

3: Move in and out of blocks

5: Indexer block

7: Processing block

9: Investment Department

11: Outgoing Department

13: Loading platform

15: Handover Department

19,33: 1st hand

21,35: Second hand

23: 1st inversion unit

25,27: Path section

29: Second inversion unit

31: Processing unit

37: Rotation holding unit

39: Protective parts

41: 1st treatment liquid arm

42,44,49,119: Electric motor

43: Second treatment liquid arm

45: Wash arms

47: Standby tank

51: Rotation axis

53: Rotating chuck

55: Support pin

57: Main body

59: inclined part

61: Opening

63,65,67,69: Nozzle

71: Rotating lifting mechanism

73: Pillar

75: Shell

75a: Lower shell

75b: Upper shell

77: Cleaning Department

81: Pressing mechanism

83: Rotating mechanism

85: Fulcrum component

85a: Swing axis

87: Seesaw board components

87c: Central part

87l: One side

87r: The other side

89: Press the actuator

89a: Actuator/actuator shaft

91: Supporting organizations

93: Retaining member

95: Pushing part

97: Guidance Department

99: Brush

99a: Front end

101: Brush holder

103: Rotation axis

103a: bolt slot nut

105:Pulley

107: Upper retaining part

109: Lower retaining part

111: coil spring

113: Linear guide

113a:Track

113b: Bracket

115: Shaft retaining part

117: Installation components

121:Pulley

123: Timing belt

125,131,137,143: Piping

127: Rinse fluid supply source

129,135,141,147: Flow control valve

133,139,145: Treatment fluid supply source

149: Air supply pipe

151: Air supply source

153: Open/Close Valve

155: Primary pressure gauge

157:Electro-pneumatic regulator

159: Secondary side pressure gauge

161: Control Department

163: Instruction Department

165: Reporting Department

401: Displacement meter

401a: Measuring point

403: Tilt memory

C: Carrier/Cassette

CA, CA1, CA2: Area of equal pressure

CP: Central Department

CR: Center Robot

d2,L1,L2,L3: distance

F1, F2, F3: press and hold

H1: No-load height

H2: Action height

H3: Maximum pressing height

IP: Input Port

IR: Indexer Robot

P1,P2,P3,P4,P5,P6: rotation center

PP: Peripheral area

R1: Row 1

R2: Row 2

R3: Row 3

r1: Central part

r2: distance/position

r3: distance/position/periphery

S1~S4,S11~S19: Steps

SSR: Back cleaning unit

V1, V2, V3: movement speed

W: Substrate

X: front and back direction

X(g): Target load

Y: width direction

Z: Lead vertical direction

FIG1 is a top view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing device of an embodiment.

FIG2 is a diagram showing the substrate processing device in FIG1 viewed from the rear X.

FIG3 is a top view showing the schematic structure of the back cleaning unit of the embodiment.

Figure 4 is a side view showing the schematic structure of the back cleaning unit.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the washing arm.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control system of the back cleaning unit.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the working state of the brushes in the central and peripheral parts of the curved substrate.

FIG8 is a graph showing the relationship between the radial position and tilt of the substrate.

Figure 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the radial position of the substrate and the moving speed.

FIG10 is a graph showing the relationship between the radial position of the substrate and the pressing pressure.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the pre-processing.

Figure 12 (a) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the opening of the electro-pneumatic regulator and the load of the electronic balance, (b) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the secondary side pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator and the opening, and (c) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the load of the pressure actuator and the secondary side pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator.

Figure 13 is a flow chart showing the cleaning process.

Below, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention is described.

FIG. 1 is a top view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing device of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the substrate processing device of FIG. 1 viewed from the rear X.

<1. Overall composition>

The substrate processing device 1 includes a loading and unloading block 3, an indexer block 5, and a processing block 7.

The substrate processing device 1 processes the substrate W. The substrate processing device 1 performs, for example, a cleaning process on the substrate W. The substrate processing device 1 processes the substrate W in a monolithic manner in the processing block 7. The monolithic manner processes one substrate W piece by piece in a horizontal position.

In this manual, for convenience, the direction in which the loading and unloading block 3, the indexer block 5, and the processing block 7 are arranged is called the "front-rear direction X". The front-rear direction X is horizontal. The direction from the processing block 7 to the loading and unloading block 3 in the front-rear direction X is called the "front". The opposite direction of the front is called the "rear". The horizontal direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction X is called the "width direction Y". One direction of the "width direction Y" is appropriately called the "right". The opposite direction of the right is called the "left". The direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction is called the "vertical direction Z". In each figure, for reference, the front, back, right, left, top, and bottom are appropriately displayed.

<2. Moving in and out>

The loading and unloading block 3 has an input part 9 and an output part 11. The input part 9 and the output part 11 are arranged in the width direction Y. A plurality of substrates W (for example, 25) are stored in a carrier C in a horizontal position with a certain interval. The carrier C storing the unprocessed substrates W is placed on the input part 9. The input part 9 has, for example, two loading tables 13 for loading the carriers C. The carrier C is formed with a plurality of grooves (omitted from the figure), which separate the surfaces of the substrates W from each other and accommodate the substrates W one by one. The carrier C, for example, accommodates the substrates W with the front side facing upward. As the carrier C, for example, there is a FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). FOUP is a closed container. The carrier C can be an open container, regardless of the type.

The outgoing portion 11 is arranged on the opposite side of the input portion 9 across the center portion of the width direction Y of the substrate processing device 1. The outgoing portion 11 is arranged on the left side Y of the input portion 9. The outgoing portion 11 stores the processed substrates W in the carriers C and outputs each carrier C. The outgoing portion 11 that functions in this way has two loading tables 13 for loading the carriers C, similar to the input portion 9. The input portion 9 and the outgoing portion 11 are also called loading tables.

<3. Indexer block>

The indexer block 5 is arranged adjacent to the rear X of the loading and unloading block 3 of the substrate processing device 1. The indexer block 5 has an indexer robot IR and a handover section 15.

The indexer robot IR is configured to be able to rotate around the lead straight direction Z. The indexer robot IR is configured to be able to move in the width direction Y. The indexer robot IR has a first hand 19 and a second hand 21. In FIG. 1, only one hand is shown for the purpose of illustration. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 each hold a substrate W. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 are configured to be able to move forward and backward independently in the front-back direction X. The indexer robot IR moves in the width direction Y and rotates around the lead straight direction Z, so that the first hand 19 and the second hand 21 move forward and backward and transfer the substrate W between each cartridge C. Similarly, the indexer robot IR transfers the substrate W between the transfer part 15.

The junction 15 is arranged at the boundary between the indexer block 5 and the processing block 7. The junction 15 is arranged, for example, at the center of the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. 2 , the junction 15 is formed to be longer in the vertical direction Z.

The junction 15 includes, from the lower side to the upper side of the vertical direction Z, the first inversion unit 23, the path portion 25, the path portion 27, and the second inversion unit 29.

The first reversing unit 23 reverses the substrate W received from the indexing block 5 up and down. The first reversing unit 23 reverses the horizontal posture of the substrate W. Specifically, the first reversing unit 23 converts the substrate W with its front side facing upward to a posture with its front side facing downward. In other words, the posture of the substrate W is converted so that it becomes a posture with its back side facing upward.

The second reversing unit 29 performs the opposite action. That is, the second reversing unit 29 reverses the substrate W received from the processing block 7 upside down. The second reversing unit 29 converts the substrate W with the front side facing down to a front side facing up. In other words, the posture of the substrate W is converted so that the back side faces down.

The reversing directions of the first reversing unit 23 and the second reversing unit 29 can be opposite to each other. That is, the first reversing unit 23 changes the posture of the substrate W so that the front side is facing upward. The second reversing unit 29 changes the posture of the substrate W so that the back side is facing upward.

The path portions 25 and 27 are used to transfer the substrate W between the indexer block 5 and the processing block 7. The path portion 25 is used, for example, to transport the substrate W from the processing block 7 to the indexer block 5. The path portion 27 is used, for example, to transport the substrate W from the indexer block 5 to the processing block 7. In addition, the transport directions of the substrates W in the path portions 25 and 27 can be opposite to each other.

<4. Processing block>

Processing block 7 performs cleaning treatment on substrate W, for example. Cleaning treatment is, for example, treatment using a brush in addition to a treatment liquid. Processing block 7 is divided into row 1 R1, row 2 R2, and row 3 R3, for example, in the width direction Y, as shown in FIG. 1 . Specifically, row 1 R1 is arranged on the left Y. Row 2 R2 is arranged in the center of the width direction Y. In other words, row 2 R2 is arranged on the right Y of row 1 R1. Row 3 R3 is arranged on the right Y of row 2 R2.

<4-1. Line 1>

The first row R1 of the processing block 7 has a plurality of processing units 31. For example, the first row R1 has four processing units 31. The first row R1 is stacked with four processing units 31 in the vertical direction Z. The details of each processing unit 31 will be described later. Each processing unit 31 is, for example, a cleaning unit. The cleaning unit performs a cleaning process on the substrate W. As a cleaning unit, there are: a front cleaning unit that performs a cleaning process on the front side of the substrate W, and a back cleaning unit that performs a cleaning process on the back side of the substrate W. In this embodiment, as a processing unit 31, the back cleaning unit SSR is used as an example for explanation.

<4-2. Line 2>

The second row R2 of the processing block 7 is equipped with a center robot CR. The center robot CR is configured to rotate around the vertical direction Z. The center robot CR is configured to rise and fall along the vertical direction Z. The center robot CR, for example, has a first hand 33 and a second hand 35. The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 each hold a substrate W. The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 are configured to independently move forward and backward in the front-back direction X and the width direction Y.

<4-3. Line 3>

The third row R3 of the processing block 7 is configured in the same manner as the first row R1. That is, the third row R3 has a plurality of processing units 31. For example, the third row R3 has four processing units 31. The third row R3 has four processing units 31 stacked in the vertical direction Z. The processing units 31 of the first row R1 and the processing units 31 of the third row R3 are arranged opposite to each other in the width direction Y. Thus, the central robot CR can access the processing units 31 of the first row R1 and the third row R3 at the same height in the vertical direction Z.

The processing block 7 is constructed as described above. Here, the operation example of the central robot CR is briefly described. The central robot CR receives the substrate W from the first inversion unit 23, for example. The central robot CR transports the substrate W to any back cleaning unit SSR of the first row R1 and the third row R3, and performs a cleaning process on the back side of the substrate W. The central robot CR receives the substrate W after the cleaning process is performed by any back cleaning unit SSR of the first row R1 and the third row R3. The central robot CR transports the substrate W to the second inversion unit 29.

<4-4. Processing unit>

Here, referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 , the back cleaning unit SSR (processing unit 31) is described. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the schematic structure of the back cleaning unit of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the schematic structure of the back cleaning unit. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning arm.

In addition, here, the back cleaning unit SSR of the first row R1 is used as an example for explanation. The back cleaning unit SSR of the third row R3 is configured as in the width adjustment direction Y.

The back cleaning unit SSR includes: a rotation holding part 37, a protective member 39, a first processing liquid arm 41, a second processing liquid arm 43, a cleaning arm 45, and a standby tank 47.

<4-4-1. Rotation holding unit>

The rotation holding part 37 is arranged at the approximate center of the back cleaning unit SSR in a plan view. The rotation holding part 37 rotates the substrate W in a horizontal plane while holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The rotation holding part 37 has an electric motor 49, a rotation shaft 51, a rotation chuck 53, and a support pin 55.

The electric motor 49 is arranged with the rotating shaft 51 facing the vertical direction Z. A rotating chuck 53 is mounted on the upper end of the rotating shaft 51. The rotating chuck 53 has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The rotating chuck 53 is a circular plate-shaped component. The rotating chuck 53 has a plurality of supporting pins 55. In this embodiment, for example, six supporting pins 55 are provided. The six supporting pins 55 abut against the outer periphery of the substrate W to support the substrate W in a horizontal posture. As long as the plurality of supporting pins 55 can stably support the substrate W in a horizontal posture, the number of supporting pins 55 is not limited to six. The six supporting pins 55 are vertically arranged near the outer periphery of the substrate W of the rotating chuck 53. The six support pins 55 release the periphery of the substrate W when the substrate W is moved into the rotary chuck 53 and when the substrate W is moved out of the rotary chuck 53. Therefore, each support pin 55 is configured to be able to rotate around the lead straight direction Z. The description of the specific structure used to perform this action is omitted. When the rotary holding part 37 rotates the electric motor 49, the rotary chuck 53 rotates around the rotation center P1. The rotation center P1 is the lead straight direction Z.

<4-4-2. Protective parts>

The protective member 39 is configured to surround the rotation holding portion 37 in a top view. Specifically, the protective member 39 has a cylindrical main body 57 and an inclined portion 59. The protective member 39 is configured to be able to be raised and lowered in the lead vertical direction Z. The protective member 39 can be raised and lowered in a lowered standby position and a processing position above the standby position. The specific structure of the lifting protective member 39 is omitted.

The main body 57 of the protective member 39 is cylindrical. The main body 57 is arranged so that the inner peripheral surface is separated from the outer peripheral side of the rotation holding portion 37 to the outside. The inclined portion 59 is limited in a manner close to the rotation axis 51 side from the upper part of the main body 57. The inclined portion 59 has an opening portion 61 at the upper part. The opening portion 61 is formed in the central part of the inclined portion 59. The opening portion 61 is larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The opening portion 61 is larger than the diameter of the rotation chuck 53. When the substrate W is moved in and out, the protective member 39 descends in the vertical direction Z to a position where the rotation chuck 53 protrudes upward from the opening portion 61. When the substrate W is being cleaned, the inclined portion 59 of the protective member 39 is located near the height of the substrate W held on the rotary chuck 53. The inclined portion 59 guides the processing liquid and the like scattered from the substrate W to the bottom of the protective member 39 at the inclined inner peripheral surface.

<4-4-3. 1st treatment liquid arm>

The first processing liquid arm 41 is arranged at the rear X of the rotation holding part 37 in a plan view. The first processing liquid arm 41 has an electric motor 42 on the base end side. The first processing liquid arm 41 swings around the rotation center P2 on the base end side by the electric motor 42. The rotation center P2 is the vertical direction Z. The first processing liquid arm 41 has a nozzle 63. The nozzle 63 has a nozzle at the bottom. The nozzle 63 sprays the processing liquid. The first processing liquid arm 41 is configured to swing the front end of the nozzle 63 across the standby position shown in Figure 3 and the supply position near the rotation center P1. When the first processing liquid arm 41 supplies the processing liquid to the substrate W, the front end of the nozzle 63 is moved to the supply position. When the first processing liquid arm 41 does not supply processing liquid to the substrate W, the front end of the nozzle 63 moves to the standby position. When the first processing liquid arm 41 supplies processing liquid to the substrate W, the nozzle 63 can be swung and moved above the substrate W without interfering with the cleaning arm 45.

As the treatment liquid sprayed from the nozzle 63, for example, a rinse liquid is cited. As the rinse liquid, for example, pure water, carbonated water, electrolyzed ion water, hydrogen water, ozone water, etc. are cited.

<4-4-4. Second treatment liquid arm>

The second treatment liquid arm 43 is arranged at the left side Y of the rotation holding part 37 in a plan view. The second treatment liquid arm 43 has an electric motor 44 on the base end side. The second treatment liquid arm swings around the rotation center P3 on the base end side by the electric motor 44. The rotation center P3 is the vertical direction Z. The second treatment liquid arm 43 has three nozzles 65, 67, and 69. Each nozzle 65, 67, and 69 has a spray outlet at the bottom. The nozzles 65, 67, and 69 spray the treatment liquid. The second treatment liquid arm 43 is configured to swing the front end of the nozzle 65, 67, and 69 across the standby position shown in Figure 3 and the supply position near the rotation center P1. When the second processing liquid arm 43 supplies the processing liquid to the substrate W, the front end of the nozzles 65, 67, and 69 is moved to the supply position. When the second processing liquid arm 43 does not supply the processing liquid to the substrate W, the front end of the nozzles 65, 67, and 69 is moved to the standby position. When the second processing liquid arm 43 supplies the processing liquid to the substrate W, the nozzles 65, 67, and 69 can be swung and moved above the substrate W without interfering with the cleaning arm 45.

As the treatment liquid sprayed from the nozzles 65, 67, and 69, for example, a chemical solution is used. As the chemical solution, for example, it is a chemical solution containing at least one of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, ammonia water, and hydrogen peroxide water. As a more specific chemical solution, for example, a mixed solution of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide water, such as SC-1, can be used.

<4-4-5. Washing arms>

The washing arm 45 is constructed as follows.

The washing arm 45 includes a rotating lifting mechanism 71, a support 73, a housing 75, and a washing section 77.

The rotary lifting mechanism 71 is configured to be able to lift and lower the support 73, the housing 75, and the washing section 77 in the vertical direction Z. The rotary lifting mechanism 71 is configured to be able to swing the support 73, the housing 75, and the washing section 77 around the rotation center P4. Specifically, the rotary lifting mechanism 71 is configured by combining an electric motor and a cylinder, for example. The rotary lifting mechanism 71 raises the washing section 77 from the standby tank 47 in the vertical direction Z at the standby position. The rotary lifting mechanism 71 swings (moves) the washing section 77 in the horizontal plane in such a way that the washing section 77 passes near the rotation center P1.

The support 73 is cylindrical. The lower part of the support 73 is connected to the rotating lifting mechanism 71. The upper part of the support 73 is connected to the lower part of one side of the housing 75. The housing 75 has a long axis in the horizontal plane. The housing 75 has a cleaning part 77 at the lower part of the other side. The cleaning part 77 rotates around the rotation center P5. The rotation center P5 is the vertical direction Z.

The housing 75 includes a lower housing 75a and an upper housing 75b. The lower housing 75a constitutes the lower portion of the housing 75. The upper housing 75b constitutes the upper portion of the housing 75. The upper housing 75b and the lower housing 75a are connected to each other.

The housing 75 has a pressing mechanism 81 and a rotating mechanism 83. Specifically, the lower housing 75a is equipped with the pressing mechanism 81 and the rotating mechanism 83.

The pressing mechanism 81 includes: a fulcrum member 85, a sill plate member 87, a pressing actuator 89, and a supporting mechanism 91.

The fulcrum member 85 is mounted on the upper surface of the lower housing 75a. The fulcrum member 85 is vertically arranged at the approximate center of the front-rear direction X of the lower housing 75a. The fulcrum member 85 has a swing shaft 85a at the upper part. The swing shaft 85a can rotate around the width direction Y. The central part 87c of the sway plate member 87 can be swingably mounted on the fulcrum member 85 via the swing shaft 85a. The two ends of one side 87l (action point part) and the other side 87r (force point part) of the sway plate member 87 can be alternately raised and lowered in the vertical direction Z. The sway plate member 87 uses the swing shaft 85a as a fulcrum.

The actuating piece 89a of the pressing actuator 89 is arranged toward the lead straight direction Z. The pressing actuator 89 elongates the actuating shaft 89a to raise one side 871 of the sway plate member 87. The pressing actuator 89 is preferably an air bearing actuator, for example.

The actuating shaft 89a of the air bearing actuator is supported by air so that it can move forward and backward in a small gap. Therefore, theoretically, the sliding resistance of the actuating shaft 89a is zero and no friction is generated. Therefore, when compared with a normal air cylinder, the air bearing actuator can move the actuating shaft 89a forward and backward even with a small air pressure. Therefore, it can move forward and backward linearly in response to the air pressure. However, as a pressing actuator 89, a normal air cylinder can also be used.

In the front-rear direction X, a support mechanism 91 is provided on the opposite side of the pressing actuator 89 across the fulcrum member 85. The support mechanism 91 supports the cleaning part 77. The support mechanism 91 is suspended below the housing 75 to support the cleaning part 77.

The supporting mechanism 91 includes a retaining member 93, a pushing portion 95, and a guiding portion 97.

The support mechanism 91 supports the cleaning section 77 in a suspended manner. The cleaning section 77 includes a brush 99 and a brush holder 101. The brush 99 acts on the substrate W to clean it. The brush holder 101 holds the brush 99. The brush holder 101 holds the brush 99 in a detachable manner. A rotating shaft 103 is installed at the center of the brush holder 101 when viewed from above. The rotating shaft 103 extends from the brush holder 101 in the vertical direction Z. The brush 99 is held by the cleaning arm 45 and moves in a horizontal plane in a manner passing near the rotation center P1 of the substrate W.

The retaining member 93 retains the rotating shaft 103 so that it can rotate freely. The rotating shaft 103 is composed of, for example, a bolt groove shaft. The rotating shaft 103 is mounted on the retaining member 93 via the bolt groove nut 103a. The rotating shaft 103 can move in the straight lead direction Z relative to the bolt groove nut 103a. The retaining member 93 retains the bolt groove nut 103a in a state that it can rotate around the straight lead direction Z. The bolt groove nut 103a is mounted on the retaining member 93 via a bearing not shown. The rotating shaft 103 can rotate around the rotation center P5. A pulley 105 is mounted on the bolt groove nut 103a protruding to the upper part of the retaining member 93. The pulley 105 is fixed to the outer circumference of the bolt groove nut 103a. When the pulley 105 rotates, the bolt groove nut 103a rotates, and at the same time, the rotating shaft 103 also rotates in the same direction.

A repelling portion 95 is disposed on the upper portion of the pulley 105. The repelling portion 95 includes an upper retaining portion 107, a lower retaining portion 109, and a coil spring 111. The upper retaining portion 107 is mounted on the upper side of the rotating shaft 103 via a bearing (not shown). In other words, even if the rotating shaft 103 rotates, the upper retaining portion 107 remains stationary. The lower retaining portion 109 is disposed separately from the upper retaining portion 107. The lower retaining portion 109 is disposed below the upper retaining portion 107 and on the upper portion of the pulley 105. The inner circumference of the lower retaining portion 109 is disposed separately from the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 103. Therefore, even if the rotating shaft 103 rotates, the lower retaining portion 109 remains stationary. In addition, the lower retaining portion 109 is mounted on the upper surface of the pulley 105 via a bearing. Therefore, the lower retaining portion 109 is not affected by the rotation of the pulley 105.

The coil spring 111 is mounted on the upper retaining portion 107 and the lower retaining portion 109. The upper end of the coil spring 111 is fixed to the upper retaining portion 107. The lower end of the coil spring 111 is fixed to the lower retaining portion 109. The coil spring 111 is, for example, cylindrical. The coil spring 111 is a compression coil spring. Therefore, the upper retaining portion 107 is pushed upward from the upper surface of the pulley 105 and the lower retaining portion 109. As a result, the rotating shaft 103 is pushed upward in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, in the normal state where the pressing actuator 89 is not actuated, the brush 99 is maintained at a certain height from the lower surface of the lower housing 75a. In other words, in the normal state, the load formed by the brush 99 is zero.

The support mechanism 91 supports the rotating shaft 103 that rises and falls in the vertical direction Z. The support mechanism 91 has a linear guide 113 and a shaft holding portion 115. The linear guide 113 is arranged adjacent to the holding member 93. The linear guide 113 is vertically arranged in the vertical direction Z. The linear guide 113 has a rail 113a and a bracket 113b. The length direction of the rail 113a is arranged in the vertical direction Z. The bracket 113b of the rail 113a is installed to be movable in the vertical direction Z. The bracket 113b is arranged below the other side 87r of the step plate member 87. The bracket 113b is arranged at a position where it contacts the other side 87r of the staircase member 87 when it descends.

The shaft holding portion 115 holds the upper portion of the rotating shaft 103. The shaft holding portion 115 holds the rotating shaft 103 in a state allowing the rotating shaft 103 to rotate. The shaft holding portion 115 holds the rotating shaft 103, for example, via a bearing not shown in the figure. The bracket 113b is connected to the shaft holding portion 115. When the actuator 89 is pressed to raise the actuating shaft 89a with a driving force stronger than the thrust of the coil spring 111, one side 871 (the point of action) rises. When one side 871 rises, the other side 87r (the point of force) descends. At this time, the other side 87r causes the bracket 113b to descend together with the shaft holding portion 115. In this way, the rotating shaft 103 descends, and the brush 99 moves downward from a specified position. When the pressing actuator 89 is driven as described above, a pressing pressure corresponding to the driving force of the pressing actuator 89 is applied to the brush 99.

A rotating mechanism 83 is arranged adjacent to the supporting mechanism 91. The rotating mechanism 83 is arranged on the side of the fulcrum member 85. The rotating mechanism 83 has a mounting member 117 and an electric motor 119. The mounting member 117 separates the electric motor 119 from the bottom surface of the lower housing 75a and arranges it upward. The rotating shaft of the electric motor 119 is arranged downward in the vertical direction Z. The electric motor 119 rotates the rotating shaft around the rotation center P6. The rotation center P6 is approximately parallel to the rotation center P5 in the vertical direction Z. The electric motor 119 is mounted with a pulley 121 on the rotating shaft. A synchronous belt 123 is arranged between the pulley 121 and the pulley 105. Therefore, when the electric motor 119 is rotated, the rotating shaft 103 is rotated around the rotation center P5 via the synchronous belt 123, the pulleys 105, 121, and the bolt groove nut 103a. Even if the rotating shaft 103 is rotated as described above, the rotating shaft 103 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction Z.

The cleaning arm 45 is constructed as described above. That is, the action of the pressing actuator 89 is imparted to the other side 87r (action point) via one side 87l (force point) of the step plate member 87. Therefore, by providing the step plate member 87, the degree of freedom of configuration of the pressing actuator 89 is increased. Therefore, the height of the substrate processing device 1 can be suppressed. As a result, it is easy to realize a configuration in which the substrate processing device 1 is stacked in multiple stages.

Here, the height of the brush 99 is explained.

The above-mentioned scissor plate member 87 is swung by pressing the actuator 89. For example, the pressing actuator 89 is operated according to the target load as described later. By this operation, the brush 99 is moved in the vertical direction Z. Specifically, the brush 99 is raised and lowered to the following height.

(1) No-load height H1: The height in the vertical direction Z where the brush 99 does not act on the substrate W. The no-load height H1 is higher than the other heights below. In normal situations, except during cleaning, the brush 99 is located at the no-load height H1.

(2) Action height H2: The height in the vertical direction Z of the substrate W used to make the brush 99 act on it with a specified load. It is a height lower than the no-load height H1. When the substrate W is cleaned, the brush 99 is lowered to the action height H2. However, this position is the height when the reaction force from the substrate W is balanced with the load when the specified load is applied to the brush 99.

(3) Maximum pressing height H3: A height lower than the action height H2. It is the lowest position that the brush 99 moves to in the lead vertical direction Z. The maximum pressing height H3 is a position determined by the structure of the pressing mechanism 81. The brush 99 cannot move below the maximum pressing height H3.

<4-4-6. Displacement meter>

Here, with reference to FIG. 3, the displacement meter 401 is described. The displacement meter 401 does not need to be fixedly mounted on the back cleaning unit SSR. That is, it can be a machine that is installed only when necessary. However, it is not excluded to be fixedly mounted on the cleaning arm 45 of each back cleaning unit SSR. In the case where the displacement meter 401 is fixedly mounted, it is preferred to automatically measure the radial inclination of the substrate W that is moved in before the cleaning process. In this way, the radial inclination of the substrate W can be measured and the productivity can be improved. In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the displacement meter 401 is mounted on the cleaning arm 45 is described.

The displacement meter 401 measures the degree of radial warping of the surface of the substrate W. The displacement meter 401 measures the tilt in the surface of the substrate W. The displacement meter 401 measures the radial tilt in the peripheral portion of the end surface with the center of the substrate W as the reference. The displacement meter 401 measures the distance from the center of the substrate W to the peripheral portion of the end surface relative to the reference.

The displacement meter 401 is preferably a laser displacement meter, for example. The laser displacement meter can realize non-contact and precise measurement in μm units. The laser displacement meter is small and light. Therefore, it is suitable for being installed on the cleaning arm 45 to measure the inclination of the substrate W.

The displacement meter 401 has a measuring point 401a, which is a position for measuring when viewed from above. The displacement meter 401 measures the distance between the measuring point 401a and the position where the substrate W overlaps when viewed from above. The brush 99 is set at a position that is a distance d1 away from the rotation center P4 in the width direction Y. The displacement meter 401 is installed on the cleaning arm 45 in such a way that the measuring point 401a is a position that is a distance d2 away from the rotation center P4 in the width direction Y. The displacement meter 401 is installed, for example, on the side surface X behind the cleaning arm 45. The displacement meter 401 preferably has a data output terminal. The displacement meter 401 outputs the measured distance from the upper surface of the substrate W from the data output terminal.

Since the displacement meter 401 is mounted on the cleaning arm 45 as described above, it can move along the same trajectory as the brush 99 during the cleaning process. Therefore, the displacement meter 401 can be used to measure the distance of the same position as the surface of the substrate W on which the brush 99 acts. As a result, the inclination required for adjusting the parameters described later can be accurately measured.

In addition, the displacement meter 401 mentioned above is equivalent to the "measurer" of the present invention.

<4-5. Control system>

Here, refer to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control system of the back washing unit.

One end of the pipe 125 is connected to the nozzle 63. The other end of the pipe 125 is connected to the flushing liquid supply source 127. The flushing liquid supply source 127 supplies the flushing liquid. The pipe 125 is equipped with a flow control valve 129. The flow control valve 129 controls the flow of the flushing liquid in the pipe 125.

One end of the pipe 131 is connected to the nozzle 65. The other end of the pipe 131 is connected to the treatment liquid supply source 133. The treatment liquid supply source 133 supplies any of the various liquids mentioned above. The pipe 131 is equipped with a flow control valve 135. The flow control valve 135 controls the flow of the liquid in the pipe 131.

One end of the pipe 137 is connected to the nozzle 67. The other end of the pipe 137 is connected to the treatment liquid supply source 139. The treatment liquid supply source 139 supplies any of the various liquids mentioned above. The pipe 137 is equipped with a flow control valve 141. The flow control valve 141 controls the flow of the liquid in the pipe 139.

One end of the pipe 143 is connected to the nozzle 69. The other end of the pipe 143 is connected to the treatment liquid supply source 145. The treatment liquid supply source 145 supplies any of the various liquids mentioned above. The pipe 143 is equipped with a flow control valve 147. The flow control valve 147 controls the flow of the liquid in the pipe 143.

One end of the air supply pipe 149 is connected to the above-mentioned pressing actuator 89. In addition, air is supplied to the pressing actuator 89 for supporting the actuating shaft 89a in a small gap, but the pipe is omitted. The other end of the air supply pipe 149 is connected to an air supply source 151. The air supply source 151 supplies air, for example. The air is preferably dry air, and the air supply source 151 is also connected to other devices. The supply pressure of the air supply source 151 is affected by the operating state of other devices. That is, if the operating rate of other devices becomes high, the supply pressure sometimes decreases. The air supply pipe 149 is equipped with an on-off valve 153, a primary pressure gauge 155, an electro-pneumatic regulator 157, and a secondary pressure gauge 159 in order from the air supply source 151 side.

The on-off valve 153 allows or cuts off the flow of air in the air supply pipe 149. The primary side pressure gauge 155 measures the pressure of the air on the upstream side of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157. The electro-pneumatic regulator 157 adjusts the opening of the built-in valve according to the input signal. In this way, the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 adjusts the pressure of the air in the air supply pipe 149. In detail, the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 adjusts the valve opening according to the input signal given to reduce the primary side pressure and sets it as the secondary side pressure in the air supply pipe 149. The electro-pneumatic regulator 157 cannot adjust the secondary pressure to a higher pressure than the primary pressure in the air supply pipe 149. The electro-pneumatic regulator 157 adjusts the secondary pressure to be lower than the primary pressure in the air supply pipe 149. When the primary pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 exceeds the specified value, the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 can adjust the secondary pressure within the range below the specified value. In other words, when the primary pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 is below the specified value, the secondary pressure may not be correctly adjusted to a value above a certain value.

The control unit 161 controls the above-mentioned units in a comprehensive manner. Specifically, the control unit 161 controls the transporting motion of the input unit 9 and the output unit 11, the transporting motion of the indexer robot IR, the reversing motion of the first reversing unit 23 and the second reversing unit 29, and the transporting motion of the center robot CR. The control unit 161 operates the rotation control of the electric motor 49 of the back cleaning unit SSR (processing unit 31), the lifting action of the protective member 39, the opening and closing action of the support pin 55 of the rotary chuck 53, the swing action of the electric motors 42 and 44, the opening and closing action of the flow control valves 129, 135, 141, and 147, the swing and lifting action of the rotary lifting mechanism 71, the rotation action of the electric motor 119, the opening and closing action of the opening and closing valve 153, and the opening action of the electric pneumatic regulator 157 as the control objects.

The control unit 161 has a CPU and a memory which are not shown in the figure. The control unit 161 is connected to an indication unit 163. The indication unit 163 is operated by an operator of the substrate processing device 1. The indication unit 163 is used for the operator to indicate process conditions such as the content of processing of a specified substrate W, and the start and stop of the processing. The control unit 161 is connected to an alarm unit 165. When an alarm is sounded when a problem occurs in the substrate processing device 1, the alarm unit 165 notifies the operator of the occurrence of the problem. The alarm unit 165 is, for example, a display device, a lamp, a buzzer, a speaker, etc. The alarm unit 165 is preferably capable of confirming the type of the problem that has occurred. The control unit 161 has an input port IP. The input port IP inputs data from various electronic devices. The data input from the input port IP is processed or stored by the control unit 161.

The control unit 161 is connected to the tilt memory 403. When the tilt is measured as described later, the control unit 161 moves the cleaning arm 45 from the center of the substrate W to the periphery in the same manner as the cleaning process. The control unit 161 receives the signal of the distance of each radial position of the substrate W output from the displacement meter 401 from the input port IP. The control unit 161 associates the radial position of the substrate W with the distance and stores it in the tilt memory 403. By associating the radial position of the substrate W with the distance, the distribution of the radial distance of the substrate W, that is, the radial tilt of the substrate W, can be obtained.

When performing the cleaning process, the control unit 161 refers to the tilt memory 403 and adjusts at least one of the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 and the pressing pressure applied to the brush 99 according to the tilt corresponding to the radial position of the brush 99. In other words, when performing the cleaning process, the control unit 161 operates at least one of the rotating lifting mechanism 71 and the pressing mechanism 81 according to the radial position of the brush 99.

In addition, the rotating lifting mechanism 71 is equivalent to the "arm driving part" of the present invention. Moreover, the pressing mechanism 81 is equivalent to the "pressing mechanism" of the present invention.

Here, refer to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the working state of the brush in the central part and the peripheral part of the curved substrate.

If the substrate W is warped, the action state of the brush 99 differs between the central portion CP and the peripheral portion PP. Here, the substrate W, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 , has the peripheral portion PP radially away from the substrate W droop downward relative to the central portion CP of the substrate W. In other words, the peripheral portion PP of the substrate W is warped downward relative to the central portion CP.

When cleaning such a curved substrate W, the front end 99a of the brush 99 acts on the upper surface of the substrate W at the center CP. That is, when the target load is applied to the brush 99, the front end 99a receives a reaction force corresponding to the target load at the entire surface. In other words, the front end 99a receives the same degree of pressure at the entire surface.

Here, in FIG. 7, the area of the lower surface of the front end 99a of the brush 99 acting on the substrate W is taken as the equal pressure area and is represented by the symbol CA (shaded area). The situation of the central part CP is set as the equal pressure area CA1. On the other hand, at the peripheral part PP, only a part of the front end 99a of the brush 99 close to the central part CP acts on the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, when the target load is applied to the brush 99, only a part of the front end 99a is subjected to the reaction force corresponding to the target load. In other words, only a part of the front end 99a is subjected to the same pressure. The area acting on the upper surface of the substrate W in this situation is set as the equal pressure area CA2. In this example, the equal pressure area CA1> the equal pressure area CA2.

If the same target load is applied to the brush 99 at the center CP and the peripheral PP, the isobaric area acting on the upper surface of the substrate W is different, so the load per unit area acting on the upper surface of the substrate W is different at the center CP and the peripheral PP. That is, in the radial direction of the substrate W, the force applied by the brush 99 on the upper surface of the substrate W is different.

To this end, the control unit 161 adjusts at least one of the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 and the pressing pressure applied to the brush 99 according to the inclination corresponding to the radial position of the brush 99, so that the force applied by the brush 99 on the upper surface of the substrate W in the radial direction of the substrate W is the same. The moving speed and the pressing pressure are parameters used to adjust the cleaning degree.

Here, refer to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the radial position and tilt of the substrate. Figure 9 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the radial position and the moving speed of the substrate. Figure 10 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the radial position and the pressing pressure of the substrate.

Here, the substrate W is warped, and as an example, is set to have a tilt as shown in FIG8. In other words, the peripheral portion of the substrate W is warped downward relative to the central portion. The radial tilt of the substrate W is the distribution of the radial distance of the substrate W measured by the displacement meter 401. Specifically, when the radial distance of the substrate W is 0, that is, at the central portion r1, it is set to be the distance L1. The distance L1 is the standard of the radial distance of the substrate W. The distance L1 is set to 0. At the radial distance r2 of the substrate W, for example, it is set to be the distance L2 that is away from the distance L1 downward. At the radial distance r3 of the substrate W, for example, it is set to be the distance L3 downward from the distance L2. In this way, the inclination of the substrate W is based on the distance L1 of the central part r1 of the substrate W, and the distribution of the distances L2 and L3 at the radial positions r2 and r3 of the substrate W.

When the substrate W is tilted as shown in FIG8 , the control unit 161 adjusts the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 , which is one of the parameters, as shown in FIG9 .

The control unit 161 moves from the center r1 to the peripheral portion at a moving speed V1. When the substrate W is not warped, the moving speed V1 is constant until the peripheral portion. The control unit 161 reduces the moving speed toward the peripheral portion r3 based on the moving speed V1 of the center r1 according to the inclination of the substrate W in FIG. 8 . Specifically, at a radial distance r2 of the substrate W, a moving speed V2 lower than the moving speed V1 is set according to the radial inclination of the substrate W. At a radial distance r3 of the substrate W, a moving speed V3 lower than the moving speed V2 is set according to the radial inclination of the substrate W. The moving speeds V1 to V3 are set in a manner such that the radial cleaning degree of the substrate W is constant. The specific moving speed is adjusted by the control unit 161 to operate the rotation speed of the rotating lifting mechanism 71 around the rotation center P4.

As described above, at the center of the substrate W, the isobaric area CA1 is larger than the isobaric area CA2 at the periphery. That is, the area acting on the substrate W is larger at the center and smaller at the periphery. Therefore, the area acting on the brush 99 becomes smaller in the periphery than in the center. For this reason, if the moving speed of the parameters of the cleaning arm 45 is reduced as described above, the time for the brush 99 to act on the surface of the substrate W at the periphery is increased, and the area acting on the brush 99 per unit time is increased. Therefore, the area acting on the brush 99 per unit time can be made uniform in the radial direction of the substrate W.

In addition, the control unit 161 adjusts the pressing pressure of the brush 99, which is one of the parameters, as shown in FIG. 10, for example.

The control unit 161 moves the pressing pressure F1 from the central portion r1 to the peripheral portion. The pressing pressure F1 is kept constant until the peripheral portion when the substrate W is not warped. The control unit 161 reduces the pressing pressure F1 toward the peripheral portion r3 based on the inclination of the substrate W in FIG. 8 . Specifically, at a radial distance r2 of the substrate W, a pressing pressure F2 lower than the pressing pressure F1 is set according to the radial inclination of the substrate W. At a radial distance r3 of the substrate W, a pressing pressure F3 lower than the pressing pressure F2 is set according to the radial inclination of the substrate W. The pressing pressures F1 to F3 are set in a manner such that the radial cleaning degree of the substrate W is constant. The specific adjustment of the pressing pressure is performed by the control unit 161 operating the opening of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 to adjust the secondary side.

As described above, at the center of the substrate W, the pressure area CA1 is larger than the pressure area CA2 at the periphery. That is, the area of the substrate W that the brush 99 acts on is larger at the center and smaller at the periphery. Therefore, if the pressing pressure of the brush 99 parameter is reduced, the force per unit area applied to the upper surface of the substrate W at the periphery is reduced. Therefore, the pressure per unit area in the radial direction of the substrate W can be made uniform.

In this embodiment, the control unit 161 adjusts the two parameters of the above parameters, namely, the moving speed and the pressing pressure, according to the inclination of the substrate W.

In addition, the above-mentioned back cleaning unit SSR (processing unit 31) is equivalent to the "substrate processing device" of the present invention.

<5. Processing before processing unit>

Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the above-mentioned back cleaning device SSR pre-processing is described. Figure 11 is a flow chart showing the pre-processing. Figure 12 (a) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the opening of the electro-pneumatic regulator and the load of the electronic balance, Figure 12 (b) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the secondary side pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator and the opening, and Figure 12 (c) is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the load of the pressure actuator and the secondary side pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator.

The operator operation instruction unit 163 of the substrate processing device 1 instructs a back cleaning unit SSR pre-processing.

Step S1

An electronic balance is configured. Specifically, an electronic balance not shown in the figure is configured in the rotating holding portion 37. The electronic balance is a device for measuring load. The electronic balance preferably has a data output terminal. The data output terminal of the electronic balance is connected to the input port IP. The electronic balance outputs a measured value from the data output terminal. The measured value is, for example, load (g).

Step S2

Measure the load. Specifically, for example, the control unit 161 can change the input signal to the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 when the on-off valve 153 is open, and measure the load X(g) of the electronic balance for each input signal at this time. In addition, it is feasible that the operator indicates from the indication unit 163 a number of loads (target loads X(g)) to be applied by the brush 99 in actual processing, and can change the input signal to the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 so that the measured value of the electronic balance becomes each target load X(g), and obtains the input signal corresponding to each target load X(g) at this time. At this time, the control unit 161 receives the measured value of each load from the secondary pressure gauge 159, that is, the secondary pressure.

Step S3

Memory the correspondence of the measured load. The control unit 161 obtains the relationship between the opening (input signal) of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 and the load (target load X(g)) of the electronic balance as shown in FIG10(a), and the relationship between the secondary side pressure and the opening of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 as shown in FIG10(b) by measuring step S2. The control unit 161 stores the relationship between the load of the pressing actuator 89 and the secondary side pressure of the electro-pneumatic regulator 157 as shown in FIG10(c) together with the above relationship in the memory.

Step S4

The operator of the substrate processing device 1 operates the instruction unit 163 to instruct the end of the pre-processing for one back cleaning unit SSR. The operator of the substrate processing device 1 arranges the electronic balance from the spin holding unit 37. If necessary, the same pre-processing is performed for other back cleaning units SSR.

<6. Cleaning of the processing unit>

Next, the cleaning process will be described with reference to FIG. 13 . FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the cleaning process. In addition, the description of the supply operation of the first processing liquid arm 41 and the second processing liquid arm 43 to the processing liquid is omitted below.

Step S11

The operator instructs the start of processing. Specifically, the process conditions including the target load X (g) are also instructed. In this way, the substrate W is transported from the indexer block 5 to the transfer section 15, and the first inversion unit 23 is used to change the posture with the back facing up.

Step S12

The substrate W with the back side facing upward is transported by the central robot CR to a back side cleaning unit SSR.

Step S13

The tilt measurement process is performed. Specifically, the displacement meter 401 is scanned as described above while the substrate W is held in the rotation holding unit 37. At this time, the control unit 161 stores the radial tilt of the substrate W in the tilt memory 403.

Step S14

The back cleaning unit SSR starts the cleaning process.

Step S15

Move the brush 99 to the center of the substrate W. Specifically, the control unit 161 moves the cleaning arm 45 so that the brush 99 is located at the rotation center P1.

Step S16

Move the cleaning arm 45. The control unit 161 starts the cleaning arm 45 to move from the center of the substrate W to the end surface beyond the peripheral portion.

Step S17

The parameters are adjusted according to the radial position of the substrate W. Specifically, the control unit 161 adjusts the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 and the pressing pressure of the brush 99. The specific adjustment is to reduce the parameters according to the inclination as described above.

Step S18

The brush 99 realized by the movement of the cleaning arm 45 described above is moved from the center of the substrate W to the end surface, which is set as one scan. The process is branched according to whether the specified number of scans is completed. When the specified number of scans is not reached, return to step S15, move the cleaning arm 45, make the brush 99 act on the substrate W, and return from the end surface of the substrate W to the center. At this time, the parameters are adjusted according to the radial position of the substrate W as in step S17. When the specified number of scans is reached, move to step S19.

Step S19

Move to the processing of the subsequent substrate W. The control unit 161 uses the central robot CR to carry out the substrate W after the processing. Next, the subsequent substrate W carried in by the central robot CR is cleaned. That is, return to the above step S12.

In addition, the above-mentioned step S13 is equivalent to the "tilt measurement process" of the present invention. The above-mentioned steps SS14 to S18 are equivalent to the "cleaning process" of the present invention.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 161 adjusts the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed based on the pre-acquired inclination of the peripheral portion of the substrate W relative to the central portion. Therefore, since the parameters are adjusted according to the inclination of each substrate W, the radial cleaning degree of the substrate W can be made uniform. Since the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 is also adjusted in addition to the pressing pressure of the brush 99, the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45 is used to supplement the part that cannot be adjusted only by the pressing pressure of the brush 99.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation forms and can be implemented in various ways as described below.

(1) In the above-mentioned embodiment, a back cleaning unit SSR is used as an example of a substrate processing device. However, the present invention is not limited to the back cleaning unit SSR. For example, it can also be applied to a front cleaning unit that uses a brush 99 to clean the front side of the substrate.

(2) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the back cleaning unit SSR (processing unit 31) as a substrate processing device is provided in the substrate processing device 1 having the loading and unloading block 3 and the indexing block 5, etc., as an example for explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, it can be composed of only the back cleaning unit SSR (processing unit 31).

(3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the washing arm 45 does not have a mechanism for detecting the load applied to the brush 99. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, a structure can be adopted in which a dynamometer is used to detect the force applied to the bracket 113b and the degree of consistency with the target load is detected.

(4) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where both the pressing pressure and the moving speed parameters are adjusted together is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. That is, at least one of the pressing pressure and the moving speed and the parameter can be adjusted according to the inclination. In this way, even if the pressing pressure of the brush 99 cannot be adjusted, it can be dealt with by adjusting the moving speed of the washing arm 45. Furthermore, even if the moving speed of the washing arm 45 cannot be adjusted, it can be dealt with by adjusting the pressing pressure of the brush 99.

(5) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the adjustment is performed by reducing the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45. However, according to the non-uniformity of the cleaning degree of the substrate W, the adjustment can be performed by increasing the moving speed of the cleaning arm 45. That is, although the area of action of the brush 99 becomes substantially smaller at the periphery, the pressure per unit area becomes higher. Therefore, depending on the state of the cleaning surface of the substrate W, sometimes shortening the time for the brush 99 to act can make the cleaning degree uniform.

(6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the curvature of the substrate W in which the peripheral portion thereof hangs downward relative to the central portion and is convex upward is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a substrate W. That is, even a substrate W having a curvature in which the substrate W is convex downward can be processed.

(7) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the tilt of the substrate W is measured before the substrate W is cleaned. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another measuring unit having the same structure as the rotation holding unit 37 of the back cleaning process SSR, the tilt of a plurality of substrates W is measured in advance, and the tilt is pre-memorized for each substrate W. Moreover, when each substrate W is processed by the back cleaning process unit SSR, the tilt corresponding to the substrate W is transmitted to the tilt memory 403, and the control unit 161 adjusts the parameters with reference to the tilt memory 403. In this way, the tilt can be measured efficiently.

(8) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure of installing the displacement meter 401 on the washing arm 45 is used as an example for explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, a structure having a dedicated arm on which the displacement meter 401 is installed can be adopted. In this case, the dedicated arm structure can move the displacement meter 401 along the same moving trajectory as the brush 99.

(9) In the above-mentioned embodiment, a displacement meter is used as an example of a measuring device. However, the measuring device of the present invention is not limited to a displacement meter. In other words, any measuring device can be used as long as the radial inclination of the substrate can be measured at each position.

(10) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the brush 99 is moved by rotating the rotary lifting mechanism 71 mounted on the washing arm 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the washing arm 45 can be linearly driven by a direct-acting mechanism such as a ball screw and a linear guide, a motor that rotates the ball screw, etc., so that the brush 99 held on the washing arm 45 can be moved linearly.

[Industrial availability]

As described above, the present invention is suitable for a method and device for performing a cleaning process on a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate by using a brush.

S11~S19: Steps

Claims (7)

A substrate processing method, which makes a brush act on a substrate to perform a cleaning process, is characterized by sequentially implementing: a tilt measurement process, which measures the tilt of the peripheral portion of the substrate relative to the central portion; and a cleaning process, which applies a pressing pressure to the brush provided on the front end side of the cleaning arm, so that the cleaning arm moves at a moving speed, so that the brush moves from the central portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion and acts on the substrate; and during the cleaning process, at least one of the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed is adjusted according to the tilt. A substrate processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned adjustment causes the aforementioned parameter to decrease at the periphery of the substrate compared to the central portion. The substrate processing method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the tilt measurement process is implemented by moving the cleaning arm in a state where a measuring device is installed at a position adjacent to the brush in the cleaning arm and at a distance from the base end of the cleaning arm that is the same as the distance between the base end of the cleaning arm and the brush. A substrate processing method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the aforementioned tilt measurement process is performed before the aforementioned cleaning process is performed while the substrate is held in a rotating holding portion. A substrate processing device, which performs a cleaning process by causing a brush to act on a substrate, is characterized by comprising: a rotating holding portion, which holds the substrate in a horizontal position and causes the substrate to rotate; a brush, which acts on the upper surface of the substrate held by the rotating holding portion; a cleaning arm, which includes the brush at the front end; and an arm driving portion, which drives the cleaning arm in a manner that the brush moves radially toward the substrate between the rotation center and the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the rotating holding portion. A pressing mechanism that pushes the brush toward the substrate with a pressing pressure; and a control unit that applies a pressing pressure to the brush and moves the brush from the center of the substrate to the periphery while cleaning the substrate, and controls at least one of the pressing mechanism and the arm driving unit based on a pre-acquired inclination of the periphery of the substrate relative to the center, and adjusts at least one of the parameters of the pressing pressure and the moving speed of the cleaning arm according to the inclination. A substrate processing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit reduces the parameter at the periphery of the substrate as compared to the central portion. A substrate processing device as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the tilt is measured by moving the cleaning arm while the substrate is held in the rotating holding portion and a measuring device is installed at a position of the cleaning arm adjacent to the brush and at a distance from the base end of the cleaning arm that is the same as the distance between the base end of the cleaning arm and the brush.